Long before the Internet and high-speed travel connected us all, The Farmer’s Wife magazine gave hard-working rural women a place to find — and share — advice about everything from raising chickens to running a farm kitchen. The Best of the Farmer’s Wife Cookbook (Voyageur Press, 2010) brings together 400 easy-to-follow recipes and variations along with dozens of menus that originated in farm kitchens nationwide and appeared on the pages of the magazine between 1893 and 1939. The following vegetable stew recipe is excerpted from “Slow Cooker Fare.”
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March 1930
In March 1930, the farmer’s wife clearly found herself with a surplus of winter-stored root vegetables and canned vegetables and a deficit of ideas for what to serve for dinner. In one article, there were recommendations for four varieties of Vegetable Stew. The combinations are left intact below. You can use any of the recommendations or devise your own.
Vegetable Stew Recipe
Version I
1/2 cup carrot
1 1/2 cups potatoes
1 cup lima beans
1 cup peas
1/4 cup onion
1/2 cup tomato
1 tablespoon butter
Version II
2 sweet potatoes
1 small onion
1 1/2 cups green beans
1 cup corn
4 okra pods
1 large tomato
Salt and pepper
Version III
1 cup potato
1 cup tomatoes
1 onion
1/2 cup celery
1/2 cup carrots
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup cabbage
Version IV
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup potato
1/4 cup celery
1 1/2 cups tomato
1/3 cup carrot
1/2 cup chopped okra
Butter
Basic instructions for all versions: Wash all vegetables, peel those that need it, and shuck or shell corn, beans, and peas. Chop large vegetables into small pieces. Heat olive oil or bacon drippings in a large skillet and brown onions, carrots, celery, and the like. Add to slow cooker with remaining ingredients and 1/2 to 1 cup water or stock. Cook 2 to 4 hours until all the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally and making sure there is ample water at the bottom of the pot. Taste for seasonings and add salt, pepper, lemon juice, and/or any herbs you desire. Serve over rice, noodles, or cornbread.
Reprinted with permission from The Best of The Farmer’s Wife Cookbook edited by Melinda Keefe and Kari Cornell and published by Voyageur Press, 2010. Buy this book from our store: The Best of The Farmer’s Wife Cookbook.